Dielectric Characterization for Single-Element Fertilizer Type Detection in Precision Agriculture

The identification of fertilizer types plays a crucial role in automatic mixing or precise variable fertilization. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for the identification of fertilizer types of single-element fertilizers. The experimental procedure involved the use of urea, calcium superphosphate, and potassium sulfate. For reliability purpose, similar types of fertilizer solutions with different concentrations from China-based manufacturer and Malaysia-based manufacturer were utilized and compared through complex dielectric constant characterization. The experimental results demonstrated that the characteristic frequency of each fertilizer is unique and consistent for all concentrations, highlighting its potential for real-time monitoring purpose. In addition to that, the observation is consistent for both China-based and Malaysia-based fertilizer solutions, demonstrating the high reliability and broad applicability of this work in precision agriculture technology.